You don't need a gym to build muscle strength. Combine several simple exercises, add some common household objects and commit yourself to your workout routine and you can get strong and in shape without ever having to shell out a dime to step foot in an air conditioned room filled with fancy and to some, intimidating machinery.
Calisthenics
Step 1
Ted Vickey, the former Executive Director of the White House Athletic Center, calls pushups "an oldie but a goodie" for building strength in your arms, chest and shoulders. Place your hands flat in the floor, stretch out with the tips of your toes resting on the floor then lower your chin and your chest slowly to the floor. For a change, shifting your elbows in toward your body takes the strain off your shoulders and works the triceps as well.
Step 2
Vickey recommends squat jumps as an easy and effective way to build leg strength and tone your backside at home. Start out standing with your feet as wide as you hips and bend your legs as though you were about to sit down in a chair. When your thighs are at a 90-degree angle to the floor, take a brief pause, then in a strong, almost explosive movement, rocket upward until your body is stretched out and you jump into the air. Come down on the balls of your feet with your knees flexed for a soft landing.
Step 3
Building strength in your hamstrings and toning your backside is just a few lunges away, according to Gary Matthews, former fitness trainer with the Royal Australian Air Force. From a standing position put one foot forward and one foot back and lower yourself toward the ground. Stay erect and try and not let your torso extend beyond the toe of the foot you have forward. Do 10 reps with one legs then switch to the other for one set. Complete between three and five sets.
Adding Equipment
Step 1
Tricep dips are challenging but very effective in building arm strength. Sit in a chair and move your butt to the edge. Place your hands on the chair on the chair's armrests and push your body up until your arms are straight. Come back down until you're seated again for one rep.
Step 2
Chin ups will seriously work your arms and chest. Place a chin up bar on a door or, if you don't have one, Mathews recommends using the frame around your door. Place your hand in an underhand gripping position and raise your chin as high as the bar or top part of the frame; lower your body back down until your feet are a few inches off the floor. Do as many reps as you can complete comfortably.
Step 3
Bent-over rows build strength in your abs, arms and back. Put your hand and the knee on the same side as the hand on a sturdy surface, such as a desk or the floor, so you're bent over. With the opposite hand pick up a dumb bell or other heavy object, such as a book, and curl it to your chest. Complete 10 reps for one set and complete as many sets as you feel comfortable doing.
Tips and Warnings
- Harvard Medical School recommends that if you can't find time for a workout then count normal activities such as walking the dog, or household chores such as mowing the lawn, as a workout.
Things You'll Need
- A chair
- A heavy object, such as a dumb bell or book
- A door chin-up bar or door frame
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